A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing my story. I noticed the numbers of reviewers have subsided, which saddened me a little. But i'm still going to write and finish this story as i have planned. Thanks Erik'sTrueAngel for editing as always.

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That evening Erik had stayed at the beach by himself. Avoiding Christine was his only option, and at the same time he needed to clear his mind of all frenzied thoughts of the physical nature.

He was no stranger to kissing women. Gabrielle had been the first woman he had ever kissed, and later, the first woman he had ever laid with. Before they became husband and wife, during several sweet encounters when they were left alone, and stealing kisses from one another, he remembered her kisses to be breathtaking, mainly because she robbed him of his breath. Gabrielle had a most passionate spirit, one that caused her to be aggressive whenever they kissed.

In the beginning, Erik believed he was lucky that a beautiful woman with a noble status loved him, and couldn't get enough of him. It was only when they got married, he sadly learned that it was not that, but simply her curious attraction toward his alluring appearance with the mask, and the desire to sample a taste of him that drove her kisses to be fierce.

Once she discovered the secret behind his mask, what had left between them was the empty shell of a marriage, no love but only hatred. In spite of her standoffish manner, Erik had remained loyal to their sacred vows.

After her accidental death, there had been other women. But it was only because he had paid them that the women were obligated to render the service to him. Their kisses were never sweet, beautiful and innocent.

Not like Christine's kiss.

The sweet memory of her kiss haunted him now. And inside, he heard a demon hiss and mock him, calling him monster, and tutting at his weakness for her. After one kiss from Christine, Erik knew he ached for more. He wanted all of her…and yet, he could not have her.

She was exquisite, and he was unrefined. Eventually he would be gone and she would live her days on this gorgeous island, surrounded by wild horses and endless sky. Their companionship would be no more than just a memory, and he only wished her to remember the best of him, but never knew all of him.

Erik felt crestfallen at the thought. Fate had been cruel to him. He lay awake until fatigue overtook his body and sleep at last came. His mind drifted to the wretched chapters of his life, causing him to again experience those horrible nightmares of his past crimes.

In front of his eyes, a fearsome fire roared like a giant monster, a stormy conflagration, loud and vicious, spreading rapidly throughout a small village, brutishly forcing its ill-fated citizens to leave the comfort of their homes and scurry everywhere to look for a place of safety. The raging blaze, like a famished beast, devoured almost everything in its path, leaving none at its mercy and billowing black smoke into the red night sky.

Erik gazed at the sea of flames that made the color of his eyes look like liquid fire. The tragic scene did little to provoke sorrow or sympathy in his heart, for his soul had become cold and indifferent. The sword in his hand dripping with blood, hovered above a dead man body that laid motionlessly at his feet. The old fool's feature was stricken with shock. He died with his eyes still wide-open and blood spilling out of his mouth.

Ruthlessly kicking the dead body aside, Erik moved forward, a grim expression visible on his face. Fighting, killing and robbing were parts of his commission. Though he hated killing, but if he must, he would. The old man had fought back, and thus his doom day had come. Needless to say, Erik bore no pity toward any victims.

While his men were rampaging the streets and stealing whatever they found valuable, there was a hypnotic, irresistible calling, like a siren of the sea that mesmerized and compelled Erik to follow, his eyes glanced both sides of the streets, frantically searching for something or someone he did not know. The calling led him to a bungalow that was on fire, but had yet collapsed.

Erik effortlessly broke inside through the front door. Even though he knew nothing of the owner, the interior of the house and its decors were very familiar, as if he had been there before. In front of him, there lay a dead woman and a girl, who was crouching, sobbing and lamenting for her mother.

As he came closer, his curiosity to learn the identity of the two victims grew stronger. He did not understand why, but there was something very familiar about the girl. She was not too young, perhaps in the range of sixteen or seventeen. Her long hair covered most of her face, which hampered her features. But when she lifted her head to look at him, the infinite sadness in her twinkling eyes as well as the recognition of her face suddenly struck him like a lightning bolt, causing him to lose balance and stumble backward.

No, it could not be true! The girl was his lovely friend, Christine, and the dead woman was her mother, Jameela. Erik was startled and speechless at the whole incident. His heart pounded wildly in an erratic rhythm, and his hand quickly flew to his chest to calm the shaky breaths. Panic and dismay coursed through his veins, weakening his strength as he fell onto his knees in disbelief. His ears were filled with the screams of a dying animal, so loud and piercing, he covered them but it was he that made the wretched noise as it resonated throughout the house. This could not be happening! He would never harm Christine.

Christine said nothing, but stared back in horror. But when he returned her gaze, the dreadful words from her lips struck him like a dagger through his heart. "I thought we were friends, Erik. I was wrong. You have betrayed and destroyed me. You are nothing but an ogre and a monster. Yes, that's what you are. Go away and never return. I hate you."

"NOOOOOOO, CHRISTINE. NOOOOOOO!"

Erik's eyes flew opened as he lunged into a sitting position. He was wide awake; his body was trembling and soaked in sweat. The dream had been so fiendish and real.

He glanced at his hands, which he found holding no sword to his great relief and briefly scanned the surroundings. He was still at the beach on the isle of the wild horses. The little bonfire that he had made was still burning high several feet away, its pleasant warmth providing him comfort throughout the chilling night.

Nonetheless, his heart remained icy cold as he felt it missing something. Has it not been this way for years? He silently questioned himself. He was born to be a beast, destined for a life of solitude, until the day he left this earth, he would remain the same.

"To me, you are just another human being that God created. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholders and what matters the most lies within your heart."

Christine's words of compassion echoed in his ears. A thought of her brought a smile to his lips and he asked himself persistently what he had done to deserve her. Christine had been kind to him and he felt he was not worthy of her. She was truly an angel that Providence had sent to him. If truth be told, being around her brought him joy and happiness, and he feared he would lose his angel, when the time came for him to leave the island.

The incident in the afternoon continued to plague him. He missed the sweet taste of her lips and the feel of her in his arms. Even now, just a simple thought of her could ignite an old stirring in his loins, and he wished to be near her again.

His logic told him that avoiding Christine would not help improve the situation, and he should return to the cottage and talk to her. Though he didn't know what to say yet, he still needed to find a way to justify his volatile action. Erik gave a snort of disdain. What a fool he was! He kept making mistakes and asking Christine for forgiveness.

With determination in mind, Erik stood up and left the beach. He knew the pathway to the cottage. The island was not too big, and since Christine had already shown him around, he remembered most of the places.

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Where is she? Where could she go at this time? Erik found Christine's bed to be empty the moment he went inside the house. Jameela was soundly asleep, but her daughter was nowhere to be found, both inside and outside the house.

Puzzled, Erik sadly stepped outside and glanced around the area. Glittering stars speckled the vast night sky. The crescent moon, swinging low in heaven, casted its ghostly light on earth and faintly illumined the meadow far ahead. With a sigh of resignation, Erik had no choice but to wait until tomorrow to seek her out.

However, thinking back about their time together, he suddenly remembered that she had told him the lagoon was her most favorite place and she liked to spend time there by herself. Knowing its direction, he got on the path that led toward the lagoon. Deep inside he only hoped that his guess was correct, that his angel would be there, waiting for him.

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After walking for a while, the moonlit pathway led Erik into a dark rock tunnel. Being known as a fearless man, he bravely walked inside and through the channel to the lagoon, where he and Christine mingled in the afternoon.

At night, the lagoon was shrouded in a blanket of ominous mystery. There were no birds or any other animals around, which made the place dead and gloomy. Disregarding the ghostliness of the atmosphere, Erik continued to move along the bank with great caution, avoiding the bushes and shrubs as much as possible.

Subsequently, he had stopped for a bit to take a breath when he suddenly heard a voice. Freezing in place he stood up straight and shut his eyes, trying to figure out what that voice was. It was the most pleasant sound he had ever heard, soft as satin and pure as an angel. There were no words to the song, just a sweet melody, sung in a mixture of notes that blended together so well that one could only imagine it coming from the mystical creature of the sea, mermaids.

Very strange, Erik had never been the one to believe in ghosts or transcendent beings. He had sailed the seas, gone to many places, and witnessed countless wonders in the world, but never had he encountered those legendary entities, for they should only exist in men's imagination and folklore.

But as the singing continued to flow, its crystal-clear vibrations casting a silken spell on his senses, beckoning him to move forward, while his fascination and curiosity to seek out the singer also intensified. He wondered if there were an absolute exception existing on this desolate island. Ever since he had arrived here, nothing seemed to be normal, at least in his opinion. Unexpectedly, he had met an angel, who willingly became a friend to him, and with each passing day he had fallen for her charms.

Nevertheless, the feelings of anxiety mixed with confusion also flooded through his mind, his body trembling in trepidation, as this coincidence reminded him of the nightmare he just had earlier. But Erik dismissed that ridiculous thought, calling him a fool for it was him who saw the elderly woman asleep on bed. His bad dream could not come true.

With the grace of a feline, Erik followed the sound as it floated along the shoreline. Although his logic had told him whose voice it possibly belonged to, his desire to see the owner with his own eyes was unwavering. The sailor ventured in the darkness around the rocks that scattered his path, while his determination grew tenfold. Yet, the closer he approached, the fainter the humming sound became. When he finally reached the destination, the singing came to a stop, but what he found was indeed astonishing, causing his mouth agape.

A few feet ahead, Christine sat on a humongous rock, facing the sea like a mermaid of the legend, her silky long hair blowing behind her. She was not aware of his presence, her eyes closed, relishing her moments in the cool ocean breeze.

Before Erik had never known Christine could possess such a beautiful voice, even an angel in heaven would feel envious of her. Her soothing music would wrap around him, and lift him up to heaven like a cloud. The more he got to know her, the more he found her interesting.

Her horse, Claudius, was nowhere near, so that told him that she must have come here alone. Through his own observation, he had learned that Christine and her mother would usually eat together and go to bed at the same time. But tonight she had stayed out here by herself, so there must have been something that bothered her. Erik only hoped her reason had nothing to do with him, or else he would not know what to do.

A mischievous smile touched his lips, Erik quietly came closer, intending to give her a surprise. But out of sudden Christine opened her eyes, and muttered to herself. What she said made him stunned and speechless.

"Ohh, Erik. What have you done to me? Since your arrival to this island, your presence has invaded my peaceful thoughts. Everywhere I go, I always see you."

Astonished, Erik's body stiffened, and he stared behind her in transfixed wonder, as if trying to soak in all she just said. She was talking about him without knowing him being there. Her confession set his heart racing. Could it mean his feelings for her was not one-sided and that she also felt the same for him?

Unaware of Erik, Christine continued in a soft whisper, her voice quivering with emotions: "Erik, what are you doing at this moment? Why did you have to avoid me? What wrong things have I done to you?" She paused, her eyes sparkling with tears, a sad smile appearing on her face, and her eyes gazing out at the water. "Oh silly Christine, he is probably asleep or still making signal towers. You barely know him. Why must you bother? Eventually he will be gone for good from this island."

At the word gone, she felt a wrench in her heart. Did she truly wish him to go away? Upon her mother's inquiry, Christine had brushed it off, saying she would not care if he had to leave. But in fact it was not true. She would miss him dearly in spite of her little knowledge about him.

Upon hearing her words, Erik cast a disheartened gaze to the rocks on the ground, his broad shoulders slouched. Christine was right in her statements. They both barely knew each other, so love might not be the thing between them right now. Moreover, he could not confide to her everything about him, for he was afraid that she would not look at him the same way she did now.

Christine's soft chuckling disrupted his thoughts; he looked up and heard her murmuring in a self-scolding tone. "Oh gosh, what am I doing? I been thinking too much again. Mother Nature, what should I do now?"

With a heavy sigh, she slid down the giant rock, standing straight up with her back to him.

At the same time, swiftly but gently, Erik hid behind a big bush close by, without letting her see him.

Again, he heard her talking to herself, but this time, her tone sounded more optimistic. "Perhaps, a bath is what I need. The water will wash away my queer emotions, perhaps tomorrow everything will be back to the way it was."

Having said that, Christine began to undress, each piece of clothing sliding down to her ankles, exposing her voluptuous body to his hungry gaze. She stepped into the lagoon and submerged her whole body into the cool water. A sigh of relaxation escaped her lips, and she felt her muscles beginning to loosen up.

Inhaling an enormous gulp of air, she dived deeply under the water. Down here, her body had no weight, and she could glide in any direction without the fear of falling. Her corporeal movements under the water became a form of meditation, any troubling thoughts would soon disappear. This place, so far from the world above, was the wonderland of her dreams. But as much as this aquatic world called to her, Christine could only be a visitor from the dry world up top.

On the shore, Erik let out a long, pent-up breath. He had not expected to see Christine disrobing and bathing at this late hour. The sensual image of her little act of stripping imprinted inside his memory, setting his body aflame. He scolded himself for coming here, and as much as possible he needed to get away before his mind completely went insane.

And then, a great splash suddenly sounded off to his left, and Erik's eyes went wide as the sight of the beautiful naked Christine emerged like a dolphin jumping out of the waters. Her back was to him, but it was all he needed to see in order for his heart to skip a beat. From his hiding place he found himself staring at her creamy skin moist from the cool waters, and her dark brown hair dripping down that luscious skin. He gasped when she dove once more beneath the water, catching a glimpse of her curve hips and delectable bottom.

When she emerged again, she was facing him now, and he thought he had never seen such beauty…Her hands went to her hair, smoothing it from her eyes. She rubbed her body with her hands, slowly from her neck to her ample breasts. Erik's eyes instantly drank in the erotic sight. His male organ hardened as he watched her innocently caressing her breasts, those beautiful round orbs crowned with rosy nipples.

The longer he looked at her, the more he could not take his eyes off her and resist wanting her beneath him. He knew he had not been with a woman for a long time, and the urge to make Christine his gnawed at him awfully. He groaned inwardly, never before feeling so hot as if he was trapped inside an erupting volcano. She was a goddess, an angel and a mermaid - a celestial being that a monster like him could never have…And he knew that if she beckoned him to come join her at that very moment, he would give up anything, even his commodore career just to become her slave forever.

While watching Christine bathing, Erik's hand involuntarily went to rest on a big rock next to him. When his exertion on the rock became too great, it rolled forward, falling into the water, and causing a commotion. By natural instinct, Christine stopped what she was doing and dived into the water, completely disappearing from the scene above.

Erik grumpily cursed under his breath. He needed to get away before Christine found out. Swiftly and discreetly, he snuck away in the protective darkness of the trees, through the tunnel and back to the pathway. With all of his strength, he ran as fast as he could, as if a group of bandits was chasing behind.

When he reached the cottage, his body was blazing hot. Christine's nude image haunted him, and he felt so aroused. He needed to do something to calm the wild beast inside or else he would lose his sanity. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a clay water storage located just outside of the house. He quickly took it and poured the cold water onto his body. "Oh Christine, believe it or not. You are the one who drive me on edge."

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A/N: What do you think of this chapter? Please review to let me know how i'm doing. I'm open to any constructive advice.

There isn't much dialogue in this chapter, but I promise the next chapter will.